Two Broken Roads Ch. 05 - Finale

Laura figured out my family was talented at the procession. What she didn't know was, I was the lead singer. Not to brag, but I was very good. I've been told I sound like Bruno Mars. She had never really heard me sing in church because of the volume of the praise band. She had no idea what was coming.

I struggled to compose myself. I had learned from singing at weddings and funerals how to control my emotions, but this would be the toughest test I had ever put myself through. She was watching my family play assuming that was the surprise. Then, I started singing the song that fit our lives perfectly—Rascal Flatts' "God Bless the Broken Road."

"I set out on a narrow way many years ago"

Laura's attention snapped toward me with wide eyes a beautiful, emotionally crooked smile, and tears flowing. She had no idea this was coming.

"Hoping I would find true love along the broken road

But I got lost a time or two

Wiped my brow and kept pushing through

I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you"

The music took on a fullness as the family choir joined me in harmony.

"Every long lost dream led me to where you are

Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars

Pointing me on my way into your loving arms

This much I know is true

That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you

The music pulled back a bit and just my sisters sang "Ooo's" in the background in perfect three-part harmony.

"I think about the years I spent just passing through

I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you

But you just smile and take my hand

You've been there you understand

It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true"

We went back to a big sound and full vocal harmony. My emotions and everyone else's were being attacked by the beautiful sound and heartfelt sentiment.

"Every long lost dream led me to where you are

Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars

Pointing me on my way into your loving arms

This much I know is true

That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you

Now I'm just rolling home

Into my lover's arms

This much I know is true"

The instruments pulled back. Vocals went back to "Ooo's.

That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you

Now just the guitar, bass, and me.

That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight..."

Then I lost it. The music had a pause here waiting for me to sing the last two words. I softly held her and struggled as tears let loose. I took all I had to just look in her eyes and say...

"to you."

I couldn't believe how strong my voice was and how I held it together to that point. Laura's surprise was better than I imagined it would be. I held it together all the way through until the last line. I didn't plan it this way, but somehow, my losing control for the last two words was perfect. It wrapped the whole surprise in a bow and made it clear to Laura just how much I loved her.

I kissed her and held her as we couldn't hold back the emotions. My family orchestra played the ending and Pastor Browning whispered to us, "You two take a moment while I vamp. I'm good at it," he said with a smile.

The music stopped. The congregation rose up in applause, no one with a dry eye. Thankfully it went on for a while. We needed the time to calm down. As the applause died down and people sat, Pastor Browning filled in the time while we pulled ourselves together.

"For those of you who weren't aware, Laura didn't even know Ben could sing." People responded with mutterings of surprise and delight. "Years ago, we had the Hawkins Family do a concert here, so I remembered them. I didn't know until a few weeks ago that Ben was one of 'those' Hawkins. He was only a young teenager at that time and I didn't recognize him. Ben doesn't know it yet, but he's going to get serious pressure about joining our choir and praise ministries." The congregation laughed.

"On a personal note," he added, "I've never known two people more ready to be man and wife. This is a family with their hearts focused on their Lord and Creator, and on their enormous love for each other. They also want to share their love with all of you. As you can tell, today has a bit of welcomed informal atmosphere, and with the wedding happening rather quickly after they got engaged, some of you have been invited formally while other invitations were less formal. The fact that you're here tells Laura and Ben that they mean something to you and, of course, you are loved by them as well. They want to be sure you all know you are welcomed to the reception just down the hall. There's enough food to feed an army so don't worry about going hungry."

He sensed we had ourselves pulled together. He took our shoulders and turned us toward the congregation.

"So it is my absolute pleasure... to introduce for the first time... Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Hawkins!"

Everyone stood and applauded as we walked down the aisle, stopping to hug Laura's parents, then making our way out the back. I noticed Megan in the back row, smiling and softly weeping. I'm glad she came, and then hoped she wasn't upset that I just sang about my relationship with her being a broken road.

We got through the door to start the reception line and Laura grabbed my face and looked into my eyes from three inches away with a big smile and sparkles in her eyes, "Why didn't you tell me you sing like an angel?" She planted a forceful, loving lip-lock on me. "And your family... Oh my!"

"It never came up in our talks," I answered. "Realizing that, I thought it would be a nice little surprise!"

"LITTLE!" she play-shouted. "I thought I was going to die on the spot! I was already in heaven!"

"You liked it?" I asked.

"I'll show you how much I liked it later!" she said with an impish smile.

Hanna arrived from the recessional and hugged us both with tears in her eyes. "You okay, sweetie?" I asked.

"Dad, you really sing pretty! You have to do that more!"

Mattie was next and just held her arms out to me and I picked her up as she shouted, "Daddy!" I said a prayer of thanks in my head. I not only married the woman of my dreams who loves the heck out of me, but I now had two little girls that are crazy about me too! Feeling blessed couldn't begin to describe the emotions that swelled within me.

The reception line moved a little slowly. Laura and I made a point to really greet everyone and be sure that those who didn't receive a written invitation were strongly urged to join the reception, and most did.

Megan was the last in line and gave Laura a big hug as Megan told her to take good care of me.

She turned to me with a smile and tears flowing. "I know... I'm the one that broke your road. You know how much I regret it but, like you sang, it led you to this wonderful woman and her awesome little girls." She turned to Laura. "They were so cute and beautiful this morning." Looking back and forth between us she continued, "I really am happy for you both and thank God he brought you together!"

We hugged her, thanked her, and invited her to the reception.

"I don't think I should," she said. "Ben, I know you've forgiven me and I feel that, but I haven't been able to clear the air with your family. I don't think this is the place to do that. Plus, I have to go get ready to move!" she said with a smile. "Oh, and Ben, the music, all of it, was amazing! I would have paid a lot just to hear it all! And your song... oh my gosh!" Looking at Laura she added, "You really didn't know about his family's music and that Ben has an amazingly beautiful voice?"

"No!" Laura replied with a pretend annoyance. "He managed to keep that from me!"

Megan laughed. "Ben's singing always made me weak in the knees!"

"I know what you mean!" Laura responded. "I was afraid I was going to swoon after the first few notes. I think I'll have to make him sing something to me every night!"

We said our goodbyes, and Megan walked off looking content and, to my relief, rather happy. I was almost shocked at her ability to put it all in perspective after what she put herself through. I was happy for her.

*****

Laura and I joined the reception, Pastor Browning introduced us again, and then he said the blessing for the meal. It was served buffet style, so the pastor asked that the wedding party be allowed to go first, and then he took charge of organizing the order in which each table was welcomed to go to the line. The setup was perfect to move people through quickly.

We had an iPod setup for background music during the meal. As my family finished eating, they moved their instruments to the center of the room since we weren't using amplification. They were done moving just as the last of the guests were finishing up their meal.

Laura and the two moms pulled together photos of the two of us as children, teens, and early adulthood. They added the pictures we had of us together and with the girls. They were put into PowerPoint to loop continuously and project them on a large screen. And, to my embarrassment, the photo of me in the makeup the girls playfully applied was there. I'm sure it was in the collection multiple times because it came up rather frequently!

My dad announced it was time for Laura and me to have the first dance, then her father would dance with Laura while my mother danced with me. Everyone was invited to join after that.

Laura and I moved to the dance floor as my family played "Amazed" by Lonestar. My brother Dan sang lead while the family joined in with vocals. The steel guitar, the violin, all of it was as good as the original. We moved slowly, basking in the joy of our embrace. The emotions of the day melted into a warm glow between us. Our touch was electric. Our love for each other was radiant and on display for all to see. It was another perfect moment etched in my mind forever.

The rest of the reception had normal events that happen at such gatherings. The only difference was my family's music. I'd forgotten how beautiful and professional they are. I found myself missing those days. They were given lots of breaks so they could enjoy the party too. The iPod was set to fill in, but my dad had some other surprises. Nine of my nieces and nephews had been working together as their own music group. They ranged in age from seven to eighteen. They took over and played some sets, and they were spectacular. My brother Ron's oldest son was getting almost as good on guitar as my dad, who has been his teacher. Occasionally other talented friends or relatives sat at the piano or played guitar. It was a glorious jam session. We'd have to do this again without waiting for a wedding to give us a reason.

I use the word "perfect" a lot. But that's what the past several months had been. So far that day, "perfect" again was the best description I could offer. But that night, I expected the meaning of perfection would fall far short of an adequate description.

Throughout the afternoon, Laura and I would catch each other's eyes as we visited with our guests. We'd make silly faces at each other clearly speaking of our impatience for the honeymoon to begin. We planned to spend our wedding night in our own bed at home.

Our bed! That had a wonderful sound to it.

Hanna and Mattie were going home with Laura's folks to stay for ten days. The next afternoon Laura and I were flying to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, then driving to stay near Lake Louise. It was one of the most beautiful areas in North America, but I only wanted to see my beautiful wife.

Hanna, Mattie, and Laura's parents were getting ready to leave around 4:30. We were hugging them all goodbye as Hanna had me lift her so Laura and I could both hug her. She moved her head back and looked at me in the eyes with a twinkle. Then she said, "You keep being nice to my mom, and thanks for being my dad!" She gave me butterfly kisses on the cheek and lips and pulled back into a hug. "I love you, Daddy and Mommy!"

I put her down and said, "We'll call you and Mattie every night, sweetie. I love you too!" She walked off with her grandparents looking back at us several times smiling.

"The way you are with the girls warms my heart more than you can imagine! You're quite a man, Ben Hawkins! And you're all mine!" she exclaimed with a kiss.

"And you're all mine, Mrs. Hawkins! Mind, soul, heart, and body! Speaking of which, shouldn't we go and start claiming ownership of each other's bodies?" I asked with a smirk and look of impatience.

"I thought you'd never ask!"

We went to say goodbye to the folks that remained. It was hard to say goodbye to my family. We lived far enough away that we couldn't see one another regularly. And I couldn't find the words to thank them enough for taking part in the surprise for Laura. Their contributions made the day a thousand times more special.

Sarah and Bobby were helping to coordinate putting the room back in order to make it ready for Sunday school activities in the morning. Only a few folks remained as we left to start our lives together as man and wife.

*****

Thankfully, the drive home was not a long one. Laura was squeezing my hand so tight it almost hurt, but that was all right with me. We stole a few smooches as we started the car... then at every stop sign... and red light... and again as we pulled into the driveway.

I shut down the engine and made sure she waited for me to open her door. I could see she wanted to get in the house quickly.

I held her hand as she exited the car. "Shall we enter our castle, Mrs. Hawkins?"

Her face glowed. Her eyes sparkled.

As she stood, I rather smoothly picked her up and kissed her as I held her and carried her to the front door. I managed to hold her as we entered. I closed the door and bolted it with one hand. Our lips and mouths remained locked as our tongues began sparring like they were in a frantic sword fight. Our arms and hands tried to pull us together to form a single body. We were heavily charged with passion, sending shock waves of energy to and through each other. Minutes later we slowly pulled back a bit and looked deeply into each other's eyes. I gently put Laura down, never breaking our gaze. She simply took my hand and led me to our marital bed.

Sarah and Laura had prepared the room for romance. Laura didn't know that Sarah left a gift basket on our bed with three bottles of our favorite merlot, two personalized commemorative glasses, and a lovely card with a slightly risqué message -

"Bobby and I hope that 'consummating' is a very tame description of your night.

Go wild, have fun, and just remember that about 200 people know exactly what you're doing!

Love, Sarah and Bobby.

"I love those two!" Laura exclaimed.

"Oh yeah!"

Laura put the card down and turned to look in my eyes. "So, Mr. Hawkins... What would you like to do now?"

I removed my jacket, placed it over the chair next to our bed, and positioned her while standing with her back to the bed.

"Mrs. Hawkins, nothing would please me more than to remove everything you're wearing, taking great care to slowly reveal every beautiful view I've only been able to imagine until now!"

"Be my guest!" she replied with a little blush and a coquettish smile.

I reached behind her, still maintaining the connection through our eyes, and slowly unzipped her dress. As I did she removed the vine from her hair and fluffed it out until it flowed freely but still held its shape. It splendidly framed her gorgeous face and made her shoulders even more desirable as it draped over them so gently. As her dress loosened, I slowly slid it down while gently caressing its path with my touch.

"Ohhh!" she whispered as I started to kiss her neck and shoulders, then along her collar bone. I met her forehead with mine, gently kissing her nose. I ran my tongue lightly over her lips and penetrated her mouth with my tongue as my hand caressed her neck. I moved a bit to her side while our tongues kept dancing. My free hand began to flow over her like a conductor leading a sweet symphony... gently touching her neck... over her shoulders... across the top of her chest... down her arm... then moving across her stomach below her lacy white bra. The clasp was thankfully in the front. I gently opened it while moving my kisses to her neck. Her bra fell away, and I heard her sigh. Laura's breathing became more pronounced.

Her sighs heightened the sexual tension. A sweet fragrance from the candles pleasantly attacked my senses. I pulled back and looked into her eyes. I could see the love and lust welling up within her. Our lips met again. I prolonged taking in the sight I knew stood before me. The tension and impatience grew to a boiling point within us both.

Finally, I pulled back to absorb the sight of her uncovered beauty. I gasped with pleasure.

"Oh wow!" I uttered like a schoolboy seeing his first pair of breasts.

My peripheral vision took in more of the glorious view to be absorbed. I moved my gaze lower and, for the first time, I saw her garter belt, stockings, and a pair of white lacy panties. The vision sent pulsations straight to my groin.

"Meet with your approval?

"You're more beautiful than I imagined, and I have a very good imagination!" She blushed a little and momentarily look embarrassed at my close inspection.

I gently cupped her breasts and began kissing the first one, then the other. At first, I avoided the most sensitive part, but then gently worked my way to her nipples. They already stood out in anticipation. My mouthed covered the areola on her right breast as I drew her nipple into my hungry mouth. She threw her head back with a moan of pleasure. I began nibbling with varying strength until her response told me I had it just right. My right hand stimulated her left breast mimicking the sensations I created with my lips and tongue on her right breast. I maintained my attention for several minutes, switching my mouth and hands back and forth between the twin treasures.

I slowly started to move away from her nipples. I sensed mild disappointment in a sigh, but she knew greater sensations awaited. I drifted my mouth's attention up toward her lips again and took the time to kiss her deeply and passionately. The anticipation was thick enough to cut with a knife. Love-filled lust streamed between us.

I felt her swaying, slightly unsteady from standing while enduring the fire building within. I eased her into sitting position on the edge of the bed as I pulled away from our kiss I slowly moved south with my lips, gently sucking, licking, and kissing. I moved down over her neck... the tender spots on her shoulders and collar bone... I lingered slightly on one breast, then the other... then working my way down her abdomen and across her waist just above her panty line. I kept tenderly kissing her stomach looking for spots that didn't tickle but caused a pleasure response from her.

I continued my oral exploration of her tummy while I undid the clasps on her stockings. I moved my mouth over the side of her panties and down each leg as I rolled each stocking down, one after the other, and removed her shoes. Gentle licks, sucks, and kisses greeted each leg as I freed it from her hosiery. My mouth dwelled on each thigh, the back of her knees, and down her calves to her ankles. I caressed them, stimulated her sense of pleasure, letting each nerve send her jolts of bliss ... letting me find more tender points to remember.

I passed over her panties barely touching them. I could see the moisture from her arousal. The scent was sweet and flowery. I found it hypnotic... trying to draw me in to where I wasn't ready to go. Her breathing was heavy... her body quivered from the stimulation... her senses were at full attention... her chest continued heaving with passion.